Harman Center Artistic Partners Washington Bach Consort, CityDance Ensemble and Washington Performing Arts Society will present, as well as the California-based Consortium of the Arts.
Comprising the existing Lansburgh Theatre (450 Seventh Street NW) and the new Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW), the Harman Center for the Arts is a 21st-century expanded stage for the Shakespeare Theatre Company and Washington's performing arts community. These two superb midsized theatres will transform the Shakespeare Theatre Company into a national destination theatre and provide ideal venues for many of Washington's distinguished performing arts companies.
In collaboration with these artistic partners and using the extraordinary design flexibility of the new facility, the Center will create new perceptions, uphold high artistic standards and encourage innovation and creativity in works that challenge itself and its audiences. At the heart of the Harman Center, the Shakespeare Theatre Company will continue to produce classic plays of size and scope that confront humanity's most profound questions, enabling us to connect to our past and gain insights into our lives and the world in which we live.
HARMAN CENTER PROGRAMMING FOR FALL 2007
* Annie Potts in Love Letters, by A.R. Gurney, directed by Selma Al-Faqih, Presented by Consortium of the Arts, Friday and Saturday, August 24 and 25, 2007, at 8 p.m., Lansburgh Theatre
Annie Potts (Designing Women, Ghostbusters) recreates her acclaimed role of Melissa Gardner (Pasadena Playhouse) in A.R. Gurney's Love Letters. The lifelong correspondence of the free-spirited but unstable artist Melissa Gardner with the staid, dutiful lawyer and senator Andrew Makepeace Ladd III, played by James Hugh Taylor, humorously and poignantly traces the struggle to love. Their successes and failures in communicating ask whether words bring us together or create eloquent barriers to the genuine intimacy women overtly and men covertly seek. Tickets are $28-$58.
* Born to Run, Choreography by Paul Gordon Emerson, Music by Bruce Springsteen, Presented by CityDance Ensemble, Friday and Saturday, September 7 and 8, 2007, at 8:00 p.m., Lansburgh Theatre
Iconic music, legendary lyrics and electrifying choreography drive the headline piece for CityDance Ensemble’s premiere performance at the Harman Center for the Arts’ Lansburgh Theatre. An anthem to youth, adventure and growing up in America, this concert brings you music as only Bruce Springsteen can sing it and dance as only CityDance can deliver it. Tickets are $20 and $35.
* Brandenburg Concertos, Presented by the Washington Bach Consort, Sunday, November 11, 2007, at 3:00 p.m., Sidney Harman Hall
Perhaps the most recognizable of Bach’s works, the Brandenburg Concertos are widely regarded as the finest musical compositions of the Baroque era and showcase the extraordinary level of talent Bach had at his disposal. The virtuoso musicians of the Washington Bach Consort deliver a triumphant and spectacular performance at the area’s newest concert hall, Sidney Harman Hall. Tickets are $20-$55.
* Winter Heat, Step Afrika!, Washington Reflections Dance Company and Coyaba Dance Theatre
Friday, November 30, 2007, at 8:00 p.m., Family Matinee: Saturday, December 1, 2007, at 3:00 p.m., Saturday, December 1, 2007, at 8:00 p.m., Presented by Washington Performing Arts Society, Lansburgh Theatre
Warm up this winter with three of D.C.’s hottest dance troupes performing a collage of high-energy percussive stepping, ballet, modern and contemporary West African dance at the Lansburgh Theatre. Drawing on African-American traditions, these companies combine their cultural roots with groundbreaking choreography. Support is provided by Target, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts and the National Performance Network. Additionally, Step Afrika! will present a co-commissioned work by Dolly Hand Cultural Center, National Performance Network and Dance Place. A co-presentation with Dance Place. Tickets are $30 and $15.
* Jungle Books, CityDance Ensemble, Presented by Washington Performing Arts Society, Saturday, December 8, 2007, at 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Sunday, December 9, 2007, at 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Saturday, December 15, 2007, at 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Sunday, December 16, 2007, at 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Lansburgh Theatre
The beloved characters of Rudyard Kipling’s classic tales come to life as CityDance performs Jungle Books, an imaginative live music and dance event your whole family will love. Tickets are $30 for adults and $18 for youth to age 12.
* Gabriela Montero, piano, Presented by Washington Performing Arts Society, Saturday, December 15, 2007, at 2:00 p.m., Sidney Harman Hall
Gabriela Montero performs works by Schumann, Chopin and Bach plus improvisations. Superstar Martha Argerich declared that Gabriela Montero “has unique talent.” In addition to performing the staggeringly difficult piano repertoire, this pianist has stunned audiences with her unique gift of improvisation. This performance is generously underwritten by Terry and Mark McLeod. Tickets are $38. -- www.shakespearetheatre.org
